Backlog

You are tasked with viewing and managing the project backlog. The backlog tracks bugs, deferred features, and technical debt discovered during development.

Backlog Location

.harness/BACKLOG.md

If it doesn't exist, create it when adding the first item.

Actions

View Backlog

When user says "view", "show", "list", or provides no arguments:

1. Read .harness/BACKLOG.md
2. Present a summary:

## Current Backlog

### Bugs (X items)
- [BUG-001] [Critical] Description - Source: feature-name
- [BUG-002] [High] Description - Source: feature-name

### Deferred Features (X items)
- [FEAT-001] [High] Description - Source: feature-name

### Tech Debt (X items)
- [DEBT-001] [Medium] Description - Source: feature-name

### Improvements (X items)
- [IMP-001] [Low] Description - Source: feature-name

What would you like to do?
- Add item: `/superharness:backlog add [type] [description]`
- Update item: `/superharness:backlog update [ID] [status/priority]`

Add Item

When user says "add" with details:

1. Parse the item type and description
2. Generate next ID for that type
3. Append to appropriate section
4. Confirm addition

Item format:

### [ID] [Priority] Title
**Source**: feature-name or general
**Description**: Detailed description
**Suggested Fix**: (optional) How to address
**Added**: YYYY-MM-DD

Update Item

When user says "update" with ID and changes:

1. Find the item by ID
2. Update the specified fields
3. Confirm changes

Backlog Template

# Project Backlog

Last updated: [ISO timestamp]

## Bugs

Items that need fixing - things that are broken or behaving incorrectly.

### [BUG-001] [Critical] Example bug title
**Source**: .harness/003-auth (discovered during implementation)
**Description**: What's broken and how it manifests
**Suggested Fix**: Brief description of likely fix
**Added**: 2025-01-15

---

## Deferred Features

Features identified but intentionally deferred for later implementation.

### [FEAT-001] [High] Example feature title
**Source**: .harness/003-auth (identified during planning)
**Description**: What the feature should do
**Rationale**: Why it was deferred
**Added**: 2025-01-15

---

## Tech Debt

Code improvements that would enhance maintainability or performance.

### [DEBT-001] [Medium] Example debt title
**Source**: .harness/003-auth (discovered during review)
**Description**: What needs improvement
**Impact**: Why this matters
**Suggested Fix**: How to address
**Added**: 2025-01-15

---

## Improvements

Nice-to-have enhancements that aren't critical.

### [IMP-001] [Low] Example improvement title
**Source**: general
**Description**: What could be better
**Added**: 2025-01-15

Priority Levels

• Critical: Blocking other work or causing data loss
• High: Important for upcoming work or user-facing issues
• Medium: Should be addressed but not urgent
• Low: Nice to have, can wait

ID Format

• BUG-NNN - Bugs
• FEAT-NNN - Deferred features
• DEBT-NNN - Technical debt
• IMP-NNN - Improvements

When Items Get Added

During feature development, add to backlog when you:

• Discover a bug unrelated to current work
• Identify a feature that's out of scope
• Find code that should be refactored
• Notice an improvement opportunity

Don't ignore these findings - capture them in the backlog.

Integration with Session Hook

The session hook reads BACKLOG.md and surfaces:

• Critical/High priority bugs
• Items relevant to current work
• Quick wins (items marked as low effort)

This helps users know what's outstanding when they start a session.

Cross-References

• View project status: /superharness:status
• After implementation: /superharness:validate
• For planning: /superharness:create-plan